Lanark 1982 an unofficial Alasdair Gray website Lean Tales (1985)

Contents: A Report to the Trustees The Answer The Story of a Recluse Portrait of a Playwright Portrait of a Painter The Grumbler I Own Nothing, I Owe Nothing Decision Authority Translation Humanity Ending Postscript

Also contains the following short stories by James Kelman and Agnes Owens.

James Kelman
Busted Scotch ; the same is here again ; The Glenchecked Effort ; The Witness ; Are you drinking sir? ; In a betting shop to the rear of Shaftsbury Avenue ; Where I was ; Extra cup ; learning the Story ; Getting there ; the paperbag ; Old Holborn ; O Jesus, here come the dwarfs ; Manufactured in Paris ; The Place! ; A Nighboilerman's notes ; The City Slicker and The Barmaid ; An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding

Agnes Owens
Arabella ; Bus Queue ; Getting Sent For ; Commemoration Day ; The Silver Cup ; Fellow Travellers ; McIntyre ; We Don't Shoot Prisoners on a Sunday ; A Change of Face

Each selection of stories is preceded by a detailed portrait, drawn by Gray, above a reproduction of the writer's signature. The collection ends, as do so many of Gray's books, with a chapter detailing how the book got written. Postscript is a detailed memoir of Gray and Kelman, among others, attending Philip Hobsbaum's writing group in the 70s and their friendship with Agnes Owens. Gray had agreed to produce another collection of short stories, but didn't have enough written to fill a book on his own. So he used his position to help friends that he thoughts deserved the boost of publication by a major London-based publishing house. His decision has since been vindicated and the collection is seen as an early display of three talents that would be of great importance to the boom in Scottish writing in the late-80s / early-90s. Owens has since had several well-received novels published and Kelman has won the Booker prize.

The paperback edition of Lean Tales added 3 short tales to Gray's section of the book
A Small Thistle
The Domino Game
Money

BUY THIS BOOK Alasdair Gray's books are sometimes difficult to get hold of. Where they are available, I have included links below to the amazon sites in the UK and the USA. Where a record is on their database, they will usually include links to used-book sellers who can offer the title, even if it is not available direct from amazon themselves.
Alternatively, you can try emailing Morag McAlpine, who can send you a list of available titles. She usually has a variety of out-of-print books, often signed, and also a selection of prints of Gray's artwork, also signed.